Pet Thread

[skullman80]

For the whining at night, how close do you have his crate to where you sleep?

It's downstairs in the office on the main floor. We are upstairs on the 2nd floor.

[MR25]

Have you considered sleeping in the same area as him?

We did that with my dog for a week or two then gave her an old t-shirt to sleep with so she would still have the smell.

[skullman80]

He has a blanket that has my smell on it from when we brought him home. I put that in his crate. I've been trying to associate the crate with good things not just when we leave or when its time for bed so it helps his anxiety. It's just gonna take time. Eventually I hope he is like the older dog and can just be left out when we are gone, but he wants to chew everything right now so it's not safe for him to be out when no one is home or at night.

[willeyeam]

Crate being near you at night is probably not a great idea as he needs to be used to being away from you. T-shirt is always a good idea

[Troy Loney]

Mac cried in his crate the first couple weeks. We kept his crate in our room, I would wake up some nights and let him out and sit on the floor and play with him for a few minutes then put him back in. Now his crate is own little room and he doesn’t mind it at all.

[skullman80]

See I always read that getting up and letting them out when they whine was bad cause it associates to them that if they whine enough someone will let them out. Guess all dogs are different. We shall see how things go over the next few weeks with Murph.

[Willie Kool]

Personally, I couldn't crate a dog unless it was short term and/or there was a medical need for it.

[tifosi77]

Yeah, I'm in the camp that they stay in the crate through the night no matter how bad they whine. Also put them in the crate during the day, and give positive reinforcement by giving them a favorite toy only when they're in the crate, giving them treats while in the crate, etc. Eventually during the day you start leaving the crate door open and returning them to the crate when they leave. Eventually they come to regard it as their den.

Dogs are naturally denning animals, so all you're doing is reinforcing their natural instincts.

[skullman80]

Personally, I couldn't crate a dog unless it was short term and/or there was a medical need for it.

My older dog something happened earlier in life and he is petrified of closed spaces. I tried crating him once and he burrowed his way out. He was also a year old when I got him so he was past his chew everything stage. He can roam the house and won't destroy everything.

Murph is like 10 weeks old and he would destroy things if left out cause he does not know any better so I'm trying to get him to associate the crate with good things so the times where we have to run out or what not he can go in there and be safe. Hopefully it will get to the point when he will want to go in and I can leave the crate door open. These first few months I will either be working from home while we are crate training him, or we will have someone come over and let him out during the day if my g/f and I are both at work so he's not in there for extended periods of time.

[skullman80]

Yeah, I'm in the camp that they stay in the crate through the night no matter how bad they whine. Also put them in the crate during the day, and give positive reinforcement by giving them a favorite toy only when they're in the crate, giving them treats while in the crate, etc. Eventually during the day you start leaving the crate door open and returning them to the crate when they leave. Eventually they come to regard it as their den.

Dogs are naturally denning animals, so all you're doing is reinforcing their natural instincts.

He only gets the kong toy when he is in the crate as it keeps him busy. I also put his food dish in there a bit ago and let him eat in there to associate good things with it then took it out after he was eating. He doesn't hate being in there, he walks in and out throughout the day, I think at night though or when no one is around he just doesn't like being alone right now. He was with 11 other puppies for several weeks and about 6 other adult dogs too while he was being fostered.

[tifosi77]

Yeah, you're on the right track, imo.

[columbia]

I’d never tell another parent how to raise their...puppy.

[Willie Kool]

Personally, I couldn't crate a dog unless it was short term and/or there was a medical need for it.

My older dog something happened earlier in life and he is petrified of closed spaces. I tried crating him once and he burrowed his way out. He was also a year old when I got him so he was past his chew everything stage. He can roam the house and won't destroy everything.

Murph is like 10 weeks old and he would destroy things if left out cause he does not know any better so I'm trying to get him to associate the crate with good things so the times where we have to run out or what not he can go in there and be safe. Hopefully it will get to the point when he will want to go in and I can leave the crate door open. These first few months I will either be working from home while we are crate training him, or we will have someone come over and let him out during the day if my g/f and I are both at work so he's not in there for extended periods of time.

My comment wasn't a judgement directed at anyone here. I just couldn't do it. IRL, I've known a couple people that crated their dogs for life or left them in an outside kennel area with a doghouse and only a couple quick visits a day at feeding time. Like, what's the point of having a dog?

We had chewing issues with a couple of our cats when they were kittens. We had TV cords, etc. running through PVC/Duct tape conduits for a year.

[shafnutz05]

When we brought our goldendoodle home, the first night I tried keeping the crate out in the living room of our apartment. Quickly moved it to the foot of her bed. We were lucky enough, however, to be able to basically just leave her crate door open after night 2. She's six now, and to this day, she is the most loving, cuddle-obsessed dog I've ever known. She loves to be spooned in bed

[tifosi77]

There something environmental in our house that's driving our dogs respiratory systems into the gutter. Carlin has been honk-coughing for a month, and Lily just started two nights ago. We leave in the morning, they're fine. I check in on them throughout the day, they're fine. I pick them up and drive home they're fine. Step through the front door, and within 30 seconds it's *HONK*HONK*HONK*HONK*. It's gotten to be a quality-of-life thing with them, disrupting their sleep. (Which means it's disrupting our sleep, as well.)

Yesterday, we had the house power washed prior to paining the exterior, and when we got home, both the dogs' sinuses became completely gummed up within ten minutes. So the power wash and related activity put something in the air at our house that the dogs really aren't responding well to.

Carlin has been checked by the vet and they've ruled out kennel cough, heartworms, bacterial infection, canine influenza.... all the things you'd normally look for. She's clear, so it's got to be environmental. It's also mildly embarrassing to call the vet at 8:30, and have the dogs honking up and sneezing in the background, and then when I drop them off at 9, they are completely symptom-free in the vet's office.

[columbia]

It took 8 months, but my baby kitten finally starting purring - and loudly - while petting her.

[willeyeam]

Sounds about right

[columbia]

Never had cats this young, so still surprised it took so long.

[skullman80]

Murph survived getting his nuts chopped off and is running around like nothing ever happened.

[columbia]

The Pain of Loving Old Dogs
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/25/opin ... -dogs.html

[tifosi77]

Why..... did........ I..... click...... that......................................

[meow]

Yeah, as an owner of a senior dog, i ain't clicking that.

[AuthorTony]

Yeah. Thanks for ruining my day, columbia.

[tifosi77]

Carlin just turned 12, and Lily will be 14 in August

[columbia]

I view it as a good reminder to help make the best of your dog's life. My guy is 10+ now and we'll just have to see how long he can chug along.